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Meeting up with the homeless

Friday, 2 January 2015

Christmas is always a time about happiness and being with family right? The majority of us are all so absorbed into our own lives at Christmas and that's perfectly normal the majority of us are. However past all the cute wrapped presents, the selfies with the fam and the delicious food is the other side of reality. And you only come close to this when you study it, if I wasn't doing a project into homelessness and poverty, I probably wouldn't realise either.

So as we all celebrate Christmas and the new year maybe we should just take into consideration the people who haven't got anything. The homeless. Cold on the streets, lonely. And do you know the thing that annoys me the most? How close minded people are towards this issue, homeless people are not all drug addicts, alcoholics etc etc. You can become homeless for a variety of reasons, as a society we are all so stereotypical. But think about it, homeless people are not exactly going to be the most sanest people you meet are they? Living on the streets and being treated like an outsider is going to push you away from the mainstream.

Anyway I took the opportunity to talk to a homeless man a few days after Christmas. I'm not too sure how old he was but I asked him a variety of questions such as how long have you been on the streets for? He said four years. Where are the nearest hostels? far away and they are full of drug addicts, its safer being on the street. Did you have a job? Yes I volunteered at a national park and worked in the garden centre but I lost my job and my parents kicked me out. Do your parents know you're homeless? Yes they are aware. What is society like with you, how do people treat you? People are nice, except I'm told to f off sometimes. How much do you earn a day? on a good day £40, on a bad day £10. Have you tried working for the big issue? Yes I did and I barely earned anything and to sign up I have to travel to Coventry. He then spoke about living in the woods and how he eats wild animals.

Its surreal how people's lives can turn any second, anyone can be homeless, it could be a close relative of yours or it can even happen to us in the future. So instead of being so naïve about the issue try and put yourself in that persons shoes, they are a real person and they have feelings too.